Episode 9 - It's Coming
11 January 2009
Review
Synopsis: Ando helps Hiro escape but discovers Hiro now thinks he is ten years old. Matt tries to help Angela escape her coma. Daphne and Arthur join in and Angela convinces Arthur to let her go. Peter and Claire avoid Knox and Flint and make their way to Primatech. Nathan and Tracy confront Arthur. He wants Nathan to work with him and Tracy agrees. Nathan heads back to Primatech unsure of his father’s motives. Mohinder discovers a catalyst is needed to make the formula work. Some of the characters become aware of a looming eclipse.
The Good: The use of the eclipse in the story is very welcome. It is in some ways the only consistent unsullied part of Heroes mythology left. In the pilot episode all our characters checked out an eclipse just as they became aware of their powers. Then Adam Monroe became immortal shortly after another eclipse in the distant past (123). Now for the first time this fact is acknowledged and will hopefully play an important role in the show.
Elle and Sylar’s reconciliation has some good parts to it. Her rage and attempts to murder him are (for once on TV) justifiable. Not only is he a killer (so she needs to protect herself) but he killed her father (302). His desire to absorb the punishment and forgive her is a solid part of his rehabilitation as a “good” person. The way he takes her power and “fixes” her is a nice moment. He shows her the empathy which he hasn’t shown anyone else for a long time. It would seem he accesses the ability Peter has. Or something similar to it. Peter is so empathetic that he absorbs others powers. Sylar learnt how to take them but now it would seem he can take them without killing anyone. Arthur also seems to have the power to absorb (or in his case, steal) people’s abilities. So it points to an interesting family connection.
Though far from ideal, with Maya gone, we now have a clearer picture of Mohinder’s morality. He apologises to and then euthanises his test subject. He is clearly desperate not to turn into a monster and so is willing to compromise his morality to find a cure. Nathan adds a nice bit of characterisation when he explains to Tracy that he chose his career in order to be like his father. It’s one of the rare moments in Heroes when we get an understandable explanation as to who a character is and why. It’s good to see Peter tell Claire that she kills him in the future. It would have been shocking for him to see and so why shouldn’t he share it with her to help try and prevent her from going down that path.
The Bad: Elle forgives Sylar and moves to flirting with him way too fast. No more than an hour has passed since she was trying to murder him. The emotion of losing her father was so raw that she was willing to kill him. Now she is practically ready to make out. It’s this hugely impatient storytelling which ruins Heroes as a show. Elle is meant to be a real person. How can we believe she is real when she behaves in this unrealistic manner? Nothing is allowed to sink in in Heroes. Elle very slowly forgiving Sylar and falling for him could have been the entire season’s story linked to his redemption and her search for a role in the world. But no, she hates him and is now into him in one episode. That’s stupid and unrealistic. It makes you think, “What a dumb TV show.”
Speaking of speedy romances, Daphne now loves Matt. They met three episodes ago. They have worked together for a couple of days from our perspective. Again it makes no sense. She doesn’t know him and wouldn’t be in love with him this fast. Like Sylar and Elle there is no time spent on building up the attraction and relationship between them. They are just thrown together because Matt saw them together in the future. Why should we as viewers care about their relationship when it is so rushed and preordained?
Hiro’s story feels very contrived and irritating. I think even a ten year old would be freaked out and scared by being able to freeze time and teleport. If you managed to freeze everyone around you wouldn’t you freak out and panic that you wouldn’t be able to get them moving again? It’s difficult to get too upset about this silly diversion for Hiro. But again the writers have so woefully explained how each character accesses their powers that it seems foolish that ten year old Hiro can learn how to master time and space so quickly. It just seems ridiculous that without knowing anything about his ability Ando could force him to blink and like magic they jumped to a waffle house. Hiro becoming a ten year feels like a massive plot device to crack a few jokes and keep him and Ando away from the action.
Why was Arthur erasing his memory anyway? Couldn’t he have just killed him or taken his power? And how are there still 9th Wonders Issues out? If Isaac Mendez really drew so far into the future then why didn’t he mention any of these future events to anyone? Again this idea that the only way characters can make decisions is to look into the future and see what happens is such a weak and irritating plot line. It takes responsibility away from the characters and makes little sense. How would those characters have created that future in the first place if they had to read what was going to happen first?
Tracy is another character whose behaviour seems unconnected from reality. She tried to kill herself a few days ago (304) because of her powers but now grins and says “I’m actually getting used to it.” And from having shown such remorse that she was willing to serve a prison sentence for her crime (305), she now offers to manipulate Nathan (the man who saved her life) in order to cut a deal with Arthur. Where did that come from? She was portrayed as a relatively normal woman and now she suddenly wants to play political games with the Petrelli family. Why? What’s in it for her? “Scratch my back” she tells Arthur. So suddenly she wants money when a few days ago she was distraught and guilty? Good thing that morality wore off nice and quickly isn’t it.
Why exactly Arthur stands around in Angela’s mind playing games isn’t clear at all. He could jump to her bedside and kill Matt and Daphne in an instant. It would seem he still loves Angela, hence he is willing to let her live. But playing games with the other two just seems plot convenience.
The Unknown: Why is Primatech deserted? Who plugged in Angela’s machines if no one is around? What was Daphne’s previous life? Why was Usutu acting like a guide for Matt while he was wide awake? Where did Elle’s pain come from in the first place? In what sense is Arthur saving the world by making half its population into super heroes? Does he simply mean they would be able to avoid disasters and terrorist attacks and ill health?
Best Moment: Sylar healing Elle. They both do a decent job conveying complex emotions in a short space of time. For a minute it feels like a good story.
Epilogue: It’s bewildering how anyone can write such a confused, rushed, bloated story. There is no logic to much of this, I don’t understand what Tim Kring thinks the hook is for this show. Other than just finding out what ridiculous twist is coming next.
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